Christmas Shoes
by YoDog41
Summary: Levi leaves the house on Christmas Eve, in hopes of getting his friend Hanji a gift. While he's at the store, some unexpected things happen. [Rated 'T' for Some Mature Talk] [Based off the Song "Christmas Shoes"]


_**A/N:: Hello everyone! This is my Attack on Titan Christmas story. It's not LeviXEren, but the story does revolve around them. It is also based upon the song "Christmas Shoes". Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Levi's POV::**_

Christmas time… The one season I disliked the most. The stores are always too packed; there are always people everywhere; and worst of all, it reminded me of how alone I really was. Sure, I had friends, and yes, they cared for me like family. But it just wasn't the same. Every year, I would attend a Christmas party, hosted by one of my friends, and almost everyone there was either with a girlfriend, or boyfriend; or chatting up a storm with someone. For some reason, I had always felt left out at them.

Growing up, I was what you would call a "problem child". Around the age of 9, my parents had died in a car crash, due to the icy roads, on the way back from a Christmas party. Deciding that I wasn't going to be dumped into some orphanage like an animal, I packed up my belongings, and left the luxury I once knew, as soon as I heard it on the news. While quickly trying to pack up things before the police came to take me away, the thought never occurred to me, that my parents were _actually _gone. But as I sat in that dirty alleyway, I realized, I had no one left, and trusting people were out of the question.

Being all alone on the streets, you start to develop bad habits; cheating people out of their money, stealing, and getting into fights. At first, I had promised myself that I wouldn't become a savage, and start to become a thief. But after being on the streets for about a month, I had broken my promise to myself. I would constantly get into fights with other people that wanted what I had, which wasn't much. I would constantly manipulate people into feeling bad for me, and have them give me money. And, worse of all, I had nearly killed a man. It was nothing I was proud of, especially at the age of 9, but I did what I could to survive.

I was alone in the disgusting streets, all alone, for around five years. By then, I didn't care what I had to do to make money. When I was around the age of 13, I had even gotten into prostitution. All the life from me had been drained, and I no longer acted like a person, rather a robot, or zombie. I lost all hope being out on the streets, and I didn't even care what would happen to me anymore. I started to contemplate suicide, and just as I was about to take my life, I met a police officer, by the name of Erwin. He sent me to an orphanage, and it turned out, that was probably the best choice in the first place.

Now, the orphanage wasn't as bad as I had thought, originally. The ladies who ran it, were nice, and Erwin came to visit me all of the time. But that all changed when my street violence started to show. I would constantly fight with the other boys, or make sexual advancements towards them. When the ladies noticed this, they signed me up for therapy, in hopes of returning my innocence. For the most part, I had never realized how messed up I was. All of it seemed like normal behavior, to me. But slowly, and slowly, I had gradually been accepted as a 'normal' person again.

Once I was 18, and no one had adopted me for my 'violent nature', I left. After that I got a job, thanks to Erwin, at the convenient shop, that wasn't too far from the janky apartment I rented. While working there, I met my good friend Hanji. It turned out that she was as crazy, as crazy can be, and somehow, we became to be friends. Even though she would act like a complete moron sometimes, she still knew when to act grown up, and be civilized. But what I liked about Hanji most of all, was the fact that she didn't consider me as "a violent individual", or "a manipulative person". She saw me as a human being.

A few years later, after getting tired of the apartment, I knew I had to get a new job, one that would pay the bills on time. I had submitted the story I had been working on in my spare time to a publisher, and it turned out they liked the idea. They quickly got it into press, and before I knew it, I had become wealthy, from something I had made when I wasn't working my dead-end job. I moved into a nicer house, and started to feel a bit better about myself. Many people enjoyed the book, and I was always asked to do book-signings. I would have liked to skip them, but my published thought it would be good for my image, and I complied. But even though I had a job that paid well, and a nice house, I still felt empty inside.

So, I guess what I am trying to get at is; all-year-round, I am pretty much alone. And even though my friends were always there for me, I still suffered from depression, and sleep deprivation. Hanji had always begged me to get some sleep medicine, so the large bags under my eyes would go away, but no matter how many times I told her I would, I didn't. And as for my depression, I never told anyone about that. But Christmas time, was always the worst. My parents had died, leaving a party, because of icy roads. If it wasn't for Christmas, I might have grown up to be a normal human.

Which is why I never understood why I had left the house, on Christmas Eve. The streets were even more crowded than usual, and most of the people are fussy. Maybe I left to get some fresh air, or maybe it was fuelled by boredom. But for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I went out for another reason. Something more important.

This year, I had to get Hanji something, other than another one of my books. Granted, she did like to read them, and she enjoyed every one I gave to her, but that wasn't a gift that came from the heart. That was a "here's the obligatory present that I had to give you". She had done a lot for me, so I needed to return the favor, by actually leaving the house, to get her a gift that she could actually use.

I passed many crowded shops, walking down the sidewalk, but none of them really caught my attention. Until I came across a shoe-store. I recalled Hanji mentioning something about needing new boots, so I figured that getting her something she needed was a good idea. The only problem was; I had no clue of what her shoe-size was. I sighed, as I pulled out my phone to text Hanji the question. After the message was sent, I went into the shop, to look for a style she would like.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the store was empty, save for the man working, and two other customers. So the store obviously wasn't crowded, which is what I wanted to get away from. As I looked around, I noticed the shop was in need of a good dusting. I wanted to clean it so badly, but I knew I should just get the shoes, and go home so I could get ready for the party, courtesy of Hanji. I really didn't want to go to her party, but she told me that it would be good for my health to get out of the house every once and awhile. Plus, if I didn't go, she would probably do something to piss me off.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, while looking around. I read the reply from Hanji, and I now knew I needed a size 8 ½. After finding a style that she would probably like, I picked out the right sized-box, and walked up to the counter to pay.

Standing in front of me, was a little boy, around 10, or 11 years-of-age. The boy's clothes were pretty much rags, and he was dirty from head to toe. He was shuffling his feet, anxiously, as he held the shoebox to his chest. And from the look of the box, it appeared they were girls shoes. I knew they couldn't be for him, so maybe his sister? I didn't know.

Finally, it was the little boy's turn to pay. He set the box down on the counter, and smiled at the gentleman working. "Sir, I wanna buy these shoes, for my mama please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time. You see, she's been sick for quite awhile, and I know these shoes will make her smile, and I want her to look beautiful, if mama meets Jesus tonight."

The cashier counted pennies for what seemed like ages, then he sadly looked at the boy. "Son, there's not enough here…"

The boy searched his pockets frantically, then he turned to me. "Mama made Christmas good at our house, though. Most years she would just do without. Tell me, sir; what am I going to do? Somehow I have to buy these Christmas Shoes…" I could see tears welling up in his eyes.

I couldn't take it anymore. I put the money down on the counter, and watched as the cashier counted it for the right amount. I couldn't believe the face on the boy as he was handed the box of shoes. "Mama's going to look so great! Thank you so much, mister!"

I knelt down in front of him. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Eren…" he replied in a happy sort of voice.

"Well, then Eren… You have a wonderful Christmas." I said. And to my surprise, I smiled, a genuine smile.

And it was at the moment; as the little boy named Eren ran out of the shop, shoes in hand; a thought occurred to me. Christmas isn't about just you, or what you like, it's about giving to those around you. And your present doesn't have to be expensive, or extravagant. It can be as simple as being there for someone who needs it the most. My act of kindness that day would live on in my memory for the rest of my days, as a reminder that, I didn't need to hate Christmas as much as I did. Even though my parents had died around that time of the year, I could still do things to make others happy. Because honestly, that's what the magic of Christmas is all about.

_**A/N:: I hope you all enjoyed this story! I wrote this after I was done with my finals because I had nothing else to do. I hope Levi wasn't too OOC. It kind of seemed that way when I was writing it. I will be getting back to my other story, shortly, since I am now on Christmas break~ **_

_**Happy Holidays, **_

_**~YoDog41**_


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